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Combination of computer science and biology could aid cancer research

The technique helps to show how cells modify their own genetic makeup and may allow cancer treatments to be tailored more precisely to a patient's disease.

11 Oct 2004

Bionanotechnology that combines the strengths of nanotechnology and biochemistry to generate a new type of bionanomaterial

A team of University of Florida researchers has created tiny hybrid particles that can speedily root out even one isolated E. coli bacterium lurking in ground beef or provide a crucial early warning alarm for bacteria used as agents of bioterrorism and for early disease diagnosis.

11 Oct 2004

Researchers suggest how to generate B cells from stem cells

Before stem cells, of whatever origin, can be used to treat patients, scientists will need to learn how to coax them to develop into the desired cell types, a major challenge.

11 Oct 2004

Carers of dementing family members can exacerbate the dementing patient’s problematic behaviour

During her doctoral research, De Vugt identified three strategies that care-providing family members adopt to approach the dementing patient. The 'supportive strategy', in which the carer adjusts to the patient's level of functioning, is the most effective. Equally a 'caring strategy', in which the carer considers the patient to be more like a child, gives rise to little restlessness in the patient.

11 Oct 2004

Balanced diet reduces the risk of a baby with spina bifida

According to Dutch researcher Pascal Groenen, a balanced diet reduces the risk of a baby with spina bifida. He investigated how different nutritional components affected the risk of developing this condition.

11 Oct 2004

Wound healers cause skin disease

Dutch researcher Manon Franssen has shown that cells which heal the skin following an injury play an important role in the development of the skin disease psoriasis. In people with psoriasis, the skin peels much faster than normal so that it flakes and becomes inflamed.

11 Oct 2004

Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy may reduce the risk of a second attack of symptoms related to multiple sclerosis

Anat Achiron, M.D., Ph.D., of Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel, and colleagues assessed the effect of IVIg treatment in patients after the first neurological event suggestive of MS and evaluated the occurrence of a second attack.

11 Oct 2004

Results do not suggest widespread anthrax antibiotic abuse in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks

Prescriptions for antibiotics that could be taken in advance to prevent against anthrax were uncommon among concerned patients after September 11, 2001 and the 2001 U.S. anthrax attacks, according to an article in the October 11 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine.

11 Oct 2004

Topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug eases symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee

Symptoms of primary osteoarthritis of the knee, including pain and stiffness, were significantly improved in patients who used a topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), according to an article in the October 11 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine.

11 Oct 2004

Research has identified Dectin-1 as the beta-glucan receptor on immune cells

This finding may be of use in the prophylactic prevention of a variety of infections, especially in surgical patients, and in the treatment of cancer. The identification of Dectin-1 as the beta-glucan receptor may also provide a novel strategy for combating fungal infections.

10 Oct 2004

Low-dose estrogen therapy significantly reduced the progression of fatty buildup in the arteries leading to the heart

“We’ve shown that you can get the same reduction in coronary artery atherosclerosis with standard-dose or low-dose estrogen,” said Thomas B. Clarkson, D.V.M., one of the investigators. “It is very significant.”

10 Oct 2004

Progestin in hormone therapy could dramatically affect heart attack severity

“One type of hormone therapy limited heart muscle damage to only 5 percent while another resulted in permanent damage to 35 percent of muscle,” said J. Koudy Williams, Ph.D., lead investigator, from Wake Forest Baptist. “If we can learn more about this mechanism we might be able to identify better hormone therapies for postmenopausal women.”

10 Oct 2004

Lithium can protect the brain cells involved in learning and memory from radiation damage

Patients who undergo radiation for treatment of brain tumors may survive their cancer only to have lasting memory and learning deficiencies, the impact of which can be particularly devastating for children.

10 Oct 2004

Immune responses to airborne fungi could cause the stuffy noses and airway inflammation among sufferers of chronic rhinosinusitis

A team led by Mayo Clinic researchers has determined that over-reactive immune responses to airborne fungi could cause the stuffy noses and airway inflammation among sufferers of chronic rhinosinusitis.

10 Oct 2004

Researchers test whether huperzine A can effectively treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center are testing whether huperzine A, a natural moss extract used in Chinese medicine, can effectively treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

8 Oct 2004

Roughly two thirds of people suffering from a mental illness do not seek medical help

"The increasing incidence of depression is a major health problem and Mental Health Week is an opportunity to highlight the range of services and new treatment options available to these people still suffering."

8 Oct 2004

New targets for combating infections in medical implants

Navarre researcher, Jaione Valle Turrillas, has identified two genes that could help as targets for pharmaceutical drugs that fight the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria - one of the bacteria which causes most infections in medical implants.

8 Oct 2004

First use of technology called ubiquitin-mediated fluorescence complementation to study a cell-signaling mechanism called ubiquitination

Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have found a way to see proteins in cells that have been tagged by a molecular “sticky note” called ubiquitin.

8 Oct 2004

Best way to protect yourself from digestive cancers is by eating right, not taking a pill

“The bottom line is to forget the antioxidant supplement and eat lots of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables,” said William Hart, Ph.D., R.D., associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University. “Limit meat, high fat milk products and all other sources of fat.”

8 Oct 2004

Researchers identify three new chemical risk factors for bladder cancer

Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers and colleagues have identified three new chemical risk factors for bladder cancer in a study involving some 600 people in the Los Angeles area. The work was reported in the Oct. 6 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

8 Oct 2004

Medical Research News

Combination of computer science and biology could aid cancer research

Bionanotechnology that combines the strengths of nanotechnology and biochemistry to generate a new type of bionanomaterial

Researchers suggest how to generate B cells from stem cells

Carers of dementing family members can exacerbate the dementing patient’s problematic behaviour

Balanced diet reduces the risk of a baby with spina bifida

Wound healers cause skin disease

Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy may reduce the risk of a second attack of symptoms related to multiple sclerosis

Results do not suggest widespread anthrax antibiotic abuse in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks

Topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug eases symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee

Research has identified Dectin-1 as the beta-glucan receptor on immune cells

Low-dose estrogen therapy significantly reduced the progression of fatty buildup in the arteries leading to the heart

Progestin in hormone therapy could dramatically affect heart attack severity

Lithium can protect the brain cells involved in learning and memory from radiation damage

Immune responses to airborne fungi could cause the stuffy noses and airway inflammation among sufferers of chronic rhinosinusitis

Researchers test whether huperzine A can effectively treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Roughly two thirds of people suffering from a mental illness do not seek medical help

New targets for combating infections in medical implants

First use of technology called ubiquitin-mediated fluorescence complementation to study a cell-signaling mechanism called ubiquitination

Best way to protect yourself from digestive cancers is by eating right, not taking a pill

Researchers identify three new chemical risk factors for bladder cancer

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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